Testing the Addition of the Immunotherapy Drug, Pembrolizumab, to Radiation Therapy Compared to the Usual Chemotherapy Treatment During Radiation Therapy for Bladder Cancer, PARRC Trial
Trial of Nadofaragene Firadenovec vs. Observation in Participants With Intermediate Risk Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer
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Home-Based Physical Activity Program With Digital App Versus Health Education Group for Improving Physical Activity Among Patients With Non-muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer, The EMPOWER Trial
Testing Shorter Duration Radiation Therapy Versus the Usual Radiation Therapy in Patients Receiving the Usual Chemotherapy Treatment for Bladder Cancer, ARCHER Study
What is bladder cancer?
Bladder cancer usually starts in the urothelial cells lining the inside of the bladder, and the first sign is often blood in the urine. About 3 in 4 cases are non muscle invasive, confined to the inner lining; these are usually removed through a scope and often treated with BCG, a weakened bacterium placed in the bladder to trigger an immune response. They frequently come back, so follow up is lifelong. About 3 in 10 are muscle invasive, treated with chemotherapy and removal of the bladder or with bladder sparing chemoradiation. Five year relative survival is about 79 percent overall in US data, largely because about half of cases are found before they spread beyond the inner lining. Smoking is the biggest risk factor, followed by workplace chemicals; see our smoking cessation trials.
Is bladder cancer curable?
Often. Most cases are found while still confined to the bladder lining, and many people are cured or controlled with scope removal and BCG, though recurrence is common and requires lifelong follow up. Muscle invasive cancer can be cured with surgery or chemoradiation in many cases.
Types of bladder cancer clinical trials
BCG unresponsive trials. Gene therapy, immune treatments, and drug releasing devices placed in the bladder for early cancer that returns after BCG.
Muscle invasive trials. Immunotherapy added before and after surgery, and blood tests for tumor DNA to guide who needs more treatment.
Advanced disease trials. Antibody drug conjugates, FGFR targeted drugs, and immunotherapy combinations.
Bladder sparing trials. Chemoradiation and new drugs to avoid removing the bladder.
Rare urinary tract cancers. Immunotherapy for less common types through large national programs.
Smoking drives risk; see our smoking cessation trials. New to research? Read how clinical trials for cancer work and our guide to eligibility criteria.
Who can participate in bladder cancer clinical trials?
Trials sort by whether the cancer has invaded the bladder muscle and by prior treatment. BCG unresponsive trials require high grade non muscle invasive disease that persisted or returned after adequate BCG; muscle invasive trials enroll around surgery; advanced trials specify prior lines and sometimes FGFR results. Most require adequate kidney function. Eligibility always varies by study.
Stages of bladder cancer, and why they matter for trials
Non muscle invasive (Ta, T1, CIS). Confined to the inner lining; scope removal and BCG; trials focus on BCG unresponsive disease.
Muscle invasive (T2 to T4). Grown into the muscle wall; chemotherapy and surgery, now with perioperative immunotherapy; trials test what to add.
Metastatic. Spread to lymph nodes or distant organs; antibody drug conjugate and targeted drug trials.
How to enroll in a bladder cancer clinical trial
Identify your trial. Use the filters and match the stage or type and the treatment history named in study titles to your own.
Select your preferred location. Enter your city or state; large trials run at many sites, early phase studies at fewer centers.
Explore study details. Click "Learn More" for eligibility, prior treatment rules, and the visit schedule.
Complete the health profile. Click "Get started" to begin the 5-step application. Have three things ready: your stage and grade, whether you have had BCG and how the cancer responded, and the other treatments you have had.
Submit the application. A clinical trial coordinator reviews it and contacts you. Nothing is decided until informed consent, and participation is voluntary at every step.